Healing Process
by Soccergal
Summary: Sequel to Almost to Late! Walker saved Alex but now she has some major issues to work though, can he help her? What about Sydney and Gage? Read to find out! R/R please! W/A S/G
1. Chapter 1

**Well, here it is, the sequel to "Almost to late". I hope that just as many people like it and don't be afraid to give advice cuz that helps so much!**

**~Soccergal**

Alex was lying on the hospital bed, pretending to be asleep so she wouldn't have to face her friends. It has been two days since she was rescued by Walker and she wasn't making much progress. After she was brought to the hospital, Alex got scared. How could she trust these men? What if they hurt her like Diego? Walker was so comfortable with touching her, but, although she wanted to trust him, Alex was scared and she didn't know what to do.

Walker was sitting in the chair next to Alex and knew she was awake, but he didn't want to push her. The doctors told him that the rape kit was a defiant positive and that made a lot of sense. Alex was scared; he could see it in her face whenever a male walked into the room. Walker was trying to make it easier on her, but it was hard. Nothing he did put her at ease. He came every day, being careful not to touch her unless she touched him first; he didn't stay in the hospital room with her while she changed and had Sydney stay at night, but it wasn't helping.

"Hey Walker, how's our girl doing?" Jimmy asked walking into the room quietly, seeing that Alex's eyes were closed.

"Better, she didn't cry when Sydney left to change and shower." Walker replied as his partner sat beside him.

Jimmy examined Walker's face as he spoke, "Hey Pard, don't this personally. We don't know exactly what happened to her expect that she was violated. You know that she's going to get better and she's going to trust you again."

Alex felt so guilty, she couldn't help but be scared and that was hurting Walker. Reminding herself that Walker loved her and would never do anything to hurt her, Alex slowly opened her eyes to face her visitors. Walker smiled when he saw her sit up, knowing that she was trying not to be scared.

"Morning Counselor, did we wake you up? I was trying to be quiet, but he kept talking to me! I swear!" Jimmy told her pointing over at Walker.

Walker rolled his eyes as Alex giggled, "No, you didn't," Alex paused glancing at the time, "Is breakfast already over? "

Jimmy smiled at her before pulling a bag out from under his seat, "Walker and Sydney told me you weren't taking to the hospital food so I snuck you in some of the good stuff."

Alex flashed him a smile that was a little to hesitant to look like her, but Jimmy was satisfied and handed her the bag. Opening it and dumping the contents, Alex's smile got bigger as she dug into the biscuits and gravy. Walker watched, relieved that she was eating again. Alex caught Walker's eye and quickly looked down, her entire body tensing up. Walker recognized that she was scared and quickly excused himself to go to the bathroom to help her relax.

Jimmy watched as Alex watched him leave with a guilty expression on her face. Alex put her fork down and stared at her hands.

"It's not your fault Alex, and Walker knows that. He's not mad at you, I'm not mad at you. No one thinks badly of you." Jimmy whispered leaning towards the bed slightly.

"I feel so bad Jimmy. I know that you guys wouldn't hurt me, but I can't help it. I'm scared to death. Just being touched makes me want to cry." Alex told him on the verge of tears.

Jimmy wanted so badly to take her into his arms, but knew that she didn't need that right now, "Alex, you're going to be fine. It might take longer than anything you've ever done before, but you're going to be fine. I just know it and everyone knows I'm never wrong."

"Oh yeah? What about all those stocks you keep putting me in?" Walker asked, getting another giggle out of Alex.

"Well I'm right about the really important things." Jimmy stated looking smug.

Walker rolled his eyes towards Alex, who giggled again. He saw the remainder of the tears in her eyes and his heart broke. Knowing that Jimmy was right, Walker let it slide. Alex would be okay, but in her own time. She had to face the demons whenever she was ready and she couldn't do that when she was still in the healing process. Alex always tries to rush through everything, but she couldn't rush through this, not this time.

The doctor walked in as Jimmy threw himself backwards into the chair, making it tip onto the floor. Jimmy quickly stood up as if nothing happened, which sent Alex and Walker into a fit of laugher. Jimmy rubbed his head with a pained expression that made Dr. Stevens walk over to him. Dr. Stevens examined Jimmy's head quickly before moving over to stand next to Alex.

"Hey Alex, how are you feeling today?" Dr. Stevens asked sitting on the very end of her bed, as not to frighten her.

"Better, I'm able to use my wrist more now." Alex told him, trying to contain her laugher at Jimmy's pouting face.

Dr. Stevens took some notes on his clipboard before turning back to Alex, "Well, you have no reason to stay here anymore, but I don't want you staying by yourself. You're still very weak."

"Don't worry Doctor. She's staying at my house." Walker told him, watching Alex's reaction carefully.

Alex froze. She was staying with Walker? Granted all of her clothes were basically over there and that was her main place to stay, but was she ready? Realizing that she couldn't make it around her apartment if she needed to, Alex saw she really had no choice. Taking deep breaths, Alex told herself several times that Walker loved her and would never hurt her. After she was calmed down, Alex nodded at the doctor with a small smile on her face.

"Great. All the paperwork is done and you can leave whenever you're ready." Dr. Stevens gently patted her shoulder and left the silent room.

Was Alex ready to be alone with Walker all day and all night? Was Walker ready to find out exactly what happened to the love of his life? Jimmy sighed; this was going to a very interesting journey.

**Sorry this is so short, I promise the next chapter will be much longer!! Please review or I might not update ;)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! Thanks for being so patient with me, I'm having major writers block lately, but I finally did it! Here it is: Chapter Two!**

**WAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWA**

"No." Sydney stated crossing her arms across her chest.

"Come on Syd! Just one time, I promise it will be amazing." Gage winked as he tried to step closer to his partner, who immediately stepped back.

Jimmy waved his hands around, his face showing disgust, "Hey don't get gross on us!"

Alex giggled as Sydney rolled her eyes. They were all sitting on Walker's porch with empty plates sitting in a pile by the door. Alex sat on the swing by herself while Walker and Jimmy sat in the chairs on either side of her that left Sydney and Gage standing across from Alex, leaning against the edge of the wraparound porch. They were all laughing and having a good time, trying to make Alex comfortable with her surroundings again. Alex was trying not to show that she was scared, but everyone knew better. As the sun set, Gage tried to get Sydney to come have desert with him, but she wasn't budging. Gage and Sydney knew that Alex was responding better to laughter than talking. The group was having a good laugh when the phone rang.

"I'll get it; don't say anything else until I get back. I don't want to miss anything." Walker told the two younger rangers as he walked into the house.

Sydney stuck her tongue out at her boss when he was out of sight as she set down on the swing next to Alex, "What do you see in that guy? In fact, what do we see in any of these guys; we need some new friends."

Alex giggled again as Walker came back out. Walker smiled over at Alex, happy to see the light in her eyes coming back. Sitting back in his chair, the older ranger noticed everyone was staring at him, "May I help you?"

Jimmy rolled his eyes at his best friend, "Who was it Pard?"

"Oh, it was C.D. He's going to come by tomorrow and visit Alex. He was going to come by after we finished eating, but the bar was just too crowded; he couldn't get away." Walker told them, smiling over at the girl in question, catching her bright blue eyes.

Alex gave a hesitant smile back before breaking the stare. Walker was so intense at times when he was staring at her and, even though she liked that about him before the incident, it scared her now. She knew that Walker wouldn't hurt her, but she also remembered the intimate settings they were in right before she was taken. Alex didn't know what to expect, where she would sleep, or what exactly would happen and that was scary.

Sydney saw that Alex was tensing up after looking at Walker and knew that she was scared. Although she wanted to stay and make Alex feel safe and comfortable again, Sydney knew that that wasn't going to help. Alex needed to see that Walker was never going to hurt her and that was going to happen only when she was comfortable with being around him. She wasn't going to get comfortable with everyone surrounding her at all times. Seeing that Alex was going to scare herself in hysterias again, Sydney looked up at Gage. Gage got the message immediately and dropped to his knees, "Please Sydney? I will have no company if you don't let me buy you desert!"

Alex took a calming breath before breaking out into another round of laughter. Sydney gave a sigh of relief as Walker silently said 'Thank you'. Nodding to Walker, Sydney responded to Gage, "You have no idea how creepy you are, do you?"

"And yet you still love me." Gage retorted right back, winking at the frustrated woman.

Sydney's flushed slightly when Gage winked and she broke his gaze to turn to her best friend, "Okay I'm done with him. What's up with you Alex?"

Laughing, Alex replied, "Oh, nothing really. Same old, same old."

Walker smiled as Alex responded as she would've any other time. He was seeing more of the confident Alex more and more with every passing minute. Although he knew that it was going to take more than one night to get Alex back to the way she was when she was kidnapped, Walker was happy for the improvement.

"This has been the most fun I've had in a long time, but Erica's plane lands in two hours so I'm going to get going you guys." Jimmy announced as he noticed Alex stifle a yawn behind her hands.

Sydney looked over at Alex and saw that she was having trouble keeping her eyes open. It made sense though; she's had a long day and an even longer week. Standing up, Sydney said, "Hey, I'm going to head out too. I'm exhausted; someone kept calling me last night to ask stupid questions."

Gage nodded in defeat as he stood too, "Yes, that was me, but in my defense I couldn't sleep!" everyone laughed, "Well Sydney's my ride so I guess I'm leaving too, but have no fear! I shall return!"

Walker rolled his eyes as Alex laughed at her goofy best friends. Sydney smiled at the sound of her laughter and reached down to give her a hug. Alex hugged her back as the guys patted her shoulder before heading to their respective cars. Sydney pulled Walker to the side before following her partner, "Don't push her too much tonight. She's terrified and if you need any help don't hesitate to call me. I don't care what time it is."

"I know Sydney, but I also know that Alex will never become comfortable with me if you keep shadowing her wherever she goes." Walker told her, giving the younger ranger a pointed look.

Sydney laughed and turned to go to Gage's car where he was waited. Yelling 'Bye' to Alex one last time and waved to Walker, Sydney finally got into the car to go home. Walker shook his head, but he knew she was just being protective over Alex and he appreciated it, probably more than she knew.

"So, what do you want to do?" Walker asked as he walked back over to where Alex was sitting.

Alex swallowed the lump in her throat, "I don't care."

Walker noticed that her voice had changed from gaining confidence to something resembling a scared child, "Well, we could go for a ride out to the lake if you want."

"Actually I'm kind of tired, could I just take a shower and go to bed?" Alex asked, hoping he didn't think that she was avoiding spending time with him; Alex really was tired.

Walker smiled, nodding. He knew that she was worried about his reaction to everything she says, so he's going along with anything that's not going to hurt her progress. Helping her out of the swing chair, Walker got her clothes and went to set up the bed while she showered. Alex paused outside of the bathroom door, "Walker?"

"What is it Baby?" Walker asked automatically, not even thinking about the pet name he called her before she was taken.

Alex gave a small smile when he called her 'Baby', it reminded her of the good days, "Do I have a time limit in the shower?"

Walker smiled kindly at her and shook his head 'No'. Alex flashed him a big smile and turned to enter the bathroom. Walker waited until the shower was running before setting up the bed in the way Alex loved the most. After everything was ready, Walker just sat down and waited patiently for Alex to finish her shower. Alex came straight to Walker's room when she was done and dropped her clothes in the usual spot that made Walker smile.

"So where am I sleeping tonight?" Alex asked quietly, not meeting Walker's eyes.

Walker knew she was nervous about spending the night with him so he was going to make it easier on her, "You're going to sleep in here and I'll be spending the night in the guest room."

Alex said nothing while Walker gathered his clothes, but when he went to leave she spoke quietly, "I'm sorry Walker."

Walker set his clothes on the bed and crossed the room to Alex. Lifting her head by the chin, Walker stared into the blue eyes he fell in love with from day one, "This is not your fault! I'm not mad at you at all, anything I can do to make you feel more at home and safe, I will. Don't you ever feel guilty; Ever."

Alex nodded, her eyes filling with tears. Walker smiled at her and kissed her cheek before leaving the room. Alex sat on the bed, tears flowing freely, not knowing that on the other side of the door, Walker was doing the exact same thing.

**I know that this took forever and I'm sorry, but here it is!! Please review! Oh and next chapter Alex will get tired of everyone babying her and blow up at Walker. What will his reaction be? Hmmmm Stay tuned to find out!! **

**~Soccergal**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! Thanks for being so patient with me, I'm having major writers block lately and I've been writing a bunch of other stories, but I finally did it! Here it is: Chapter three!!**

**WAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWA**

Alex woke up to the sun shining bright in her eyes, but she was expecting it. For the week that Alex had been home, Sydney always came in and woke her up in the same fashion, by opening the curtains. Walker had basically eliminated himself from Alex's daily routine; he made sure she had everything she wanted for breakfast, but after that, Alex didn't see him until she was getting ready to go to bed. Sydney stayed with her, doing whatever Alex was in the mood to do; it was starting to get on her nerves, she missed Walker.

"Morning Syd." Alex mumbled as she climbed out of bed, throwing her covers back across the bed.

Sydney raised her eyebrows as Alex stomped to the bathroom with her clothes, without saying another word to Sydney. Sydney sat down on the bed, waiting for Alex to be done, thinking, amused, 'Something is going to blow up today.'

"Are you ready yet? I'm starving!" Sydney called through the door after fifteen minutes of waiting.

"I'm coming, hold your dang horses!" Alex called back, annoyance apparent in her voice.

Sydney laughed as Alex opened the door. She was wearing blue jeans and a red blouse that Walker bought her for her last birthday. Sydney smiled when she saw that Alex was getting more comfortable with things associated with Walker. Alex noticed the staring and raised her eyebrows. Sydney laughed, "I'm just wondering how I got so lucky; I got Alex Cahill for a best friend."

Alex gave a small smile and gave her a hug, "Thanks, I'm lucky too, but you're still annoying this morning."

Sydney gave another laugh as she dragged the reluctant blonde down the stairs. Alex just let her best friend drag her to the kitchen without compliant until she was pushed into a chair, roughly, "You didn't have to be rough…"

Laughing at Alex's mumbling, Sydney filled up Alex's plate and then her own with all the food Walker had laid out earlier this morning. Sydney watched as Alex played around with her food before starting her eat her own. Every attempt to make conversation was shot down by Alex's one word answers so Sydney just sat there in silence, waiting for Alex to finish eating. Walker walked in after finishing with the horses and was delighted to see that they were still there.

"Morning Alex, how are you?" Walker asked the blonde, but was only met with silence.

Walker looked over to Sydney for an explanation, who in turn shrugged with a smile gracing her face. Sydney suddenly stood up, claiming to need to use the restroom, leaving the strained couple together, alone. Walker was silent for a few moments as Alex skillfully avoided his eyes. Finally having enough of the silence, Walker asked, "Alex? What's wrong? You're acting weird today."

Alex glared up at him as she stood from her chair, "I'M acting weird? Try you're acting weird! You've been avoiding me since I got here, if you didn't want me to stay with you, you could've said something!"

Walker was stunned into silence and Alex took it the wrong way, "See, you don't even have an excuse! I hate sitting around a boring house, doing nothing while the man that's supposed to love me avoids me all day!"

Walker finally got his voice back, "I was working Alex. I just didn't want you to feel uncomfortable with me so I assumed that Sydney would be a better companion-"

"You assumed wrong! I love Sydney like my sister, but I want my boyfriend and best friend back!" Alex spat, crossing her arms.

Chuckling, Walker tried to make his way over to the upset blonde, but Alex moved away, "Don't come near me, this is not funny! And why can't I go back to work? I'm more than capable of handling work, but no, you're keeping me locked in this house!"

Walker stayed a safe distance away from Alex, knowing that she wouldn't hesitate to hit him if she got too upset, "One, I didn't know my ranch was that boring, and two, you can go back to work whenever you're ready. I was waiting until you felt comfortable enough before I tried to get back into your daily routine, does that make sense?"

Alex kept her arms crossed but her expression was much softer as she looked up at Walker, "Really?"

"Of course, don't you ever doubt that I love you." Walker told her as he gathered her into his arms.

Alex snuggled into Walker's arms, "I'm sorry, I'm just so tired of being cooped up in this house and never seeing you."

Walker kissed the top of Alex's head and held onto her tightly. Sydney walked into the room to see the couple embracing and laughed. Alex lifted her head up, but didn't remove herself from Walker's arms, "What's so funny?"

"I just totally won the bet!" Sydney squealed, pulling out her phone, as Walker and Alex watched amused.

The couple held onto each other tightly as Sydney informed Gage that he owed her a nice dinner, made by hand. Alex watched her best friend laugh and snuggled closer to her boyfriend, happier than she's been in weeks.

**I know that I said this chapter would be long but I couldn't figure out where to go with it so this is all I could come up with…Sorry ******** I'll do better next chapter! Sneak peak- Alex goes back to work and her co-worker is insistent on hitting on her, how does Alex react? How does Walker react? Stay tuned!**

**Soccergal**


	4. Chapter 4

**It seems like forever and a day since I've updated….SORRY GUYS!!!! Anyway thanks so much for the reviews and this chapter is so much longer than the last one its not even funny! Hope you enjoy!**

**WAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWA**

"Are you a Mexican Jumping Bean today?" Sydney asked her best friend as they pulled onto the highway, heading for work.

Alex glanced over at Sydney, confused, "Umm…No?"

"Then stop fidgeting. For the hundredth time, you're going to great today. You have no reason to be nervous." Sydney told her, for the fifth time since they pulled out of Walker's driveway.

Alex smiled; she was just so excited to be doing something besides sitting at Walker's ranch that she couldn't stop fidgeting. The only bad thing about today was Walker was supposed to drive her, but he got called into a crime early this morning and it was up to Sydney to calm Alex's nerves. Alex, however, wished it was Walker sitting beside her. He always knew what to say to calm her down. Her smile widened as Walker's face popped into her head; they have gotten so much closer in the last couple of days. He wasn't pushing her at all and that only added to comfort that was becoming constant with him.

"First you're so excited that you jump around my car and now that we're here, you don't even care? Make up your mind!" Sydney teased as she finally got Alex's attention.

Smiling over at the expectant ranger, she answered, "Sorry, I was lost in thought."

"I could see that; what was occupying your thoughts on this lovely morning?" Sydney asked, taking on a fake accent.

Alex laughed, getting out of the car, totally ignoring Sydney's protest. Sydney met her at the front of the car where Alex was pretending to wait impatiently.

"Are you ready to enter the hollow halls of the justice system?" Sydney asked, examining her, waiting for the hysteria.

Taking a deep breath, Alex flashed Sydney a large smile and started to lead the way up the stairs. Sydney smiled, glad that she was worrying for nothing, and rushed up the stairs to catch up with the determined blonde. Alex smiled a nervous smile as they entered the building, but as soon as they were in, the best friends found the justice building almost empty. Alex let out a breath she hadn't realized that she was holding.

"Come on, I'll walk you to your office." Sydney smiled, gently pulling Alex further into the building.

Alex smiled back, following her up the stairs. As they headed up the stairs and into the familiar hallway, Alex unconsciously kept an eye out for Walker, hoping that he would show. To her disappointment, however, he was nowhere to be found as the two friends made their way to Alex's office. Sydney noticed Alex glancing around constantly and finally told her, teasingly, "He told me that he'll stop by your office later, so you can chill out now."

Alex blushed under Sydney's teasing gaze, "I know that, he's going to buy me lunch. I was just hoping to see him earlier than that…"

The friends reach Alex's door and found that it was locked. Alex looked confused as she dug through her purse to find her rarely used key, "That's weird, I don't remember ever locking this door."

Sydney held back a smile and just shrugged her shoulders as Alex unlocked the door. Alex shot her a look before shaking her head and walking into her office with Sydney following close behind. Alex looked up from her purse and stopped in her tracks at the sight of her office, eyes wide and smile wider. Her office was filled with at least twenty vases of red roses. Alex stared at them for a moment before turning back to her best friend.

"You knew about this didn't you?" Alex asked accusingly, without wiping the smile off her face.

Sydney gave a guilty shrug, smiling. Alex playfully rolled her eyes as Sydney reached out to give her a hug saying, "There's a note from Walker on your desk, have a great day, and welcome back. We really missed your spunk around here."

Alex waved as Sydney slipped out of the office and turned to find the note she mentioned. It was sitting on top of all the files that had piled up over the last couple weeks. Alex picked it up, immediately recognizing Walker's messing handwriting. Smiling, she read:

Hey baby,

Welcome back! I know you're wondering about the roses, I just wanted your first day back to be as special as you. Every ranger donated money to help me out, that's why you have so many. Everyone in this building loves you and we're really glad that you're back! Have a great day and I'll see you at lunch.

Walker

Alex smiled down at the note before looking back up at the roses again. Excited to start her day now that she was encouraged by Walker, Alex sat at her desk. Shuffling through the cases that Moody had saved especially for her, Alex couldn't keep the smile off her face. Even though most of the cases involved deaths, rapes, and domestic violence, the smile just keep coming back.

**WAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWA**

Walker was sitting at his desk pretending to read an old file, but his thoughts were really on Alex. She was so nervous when he left this morning and he couldn't help but worry about her. She was just getting her confidence back and he wanted nothing to ruin the progress she had made over the last couple of weeks. Unfortunately, nothing could convince Alex that she wasn't ready to go back to work. Once she had her mind set on something, she saw it through all the way.

"Walker!" Trivette called over to him, breaking him out of his train of thought.

Glancing over at his excited partner, Walker set down the file and asked, "What?"

"I got that lead on Damien!" Jimmy exclaimed, a grin on his face, obviously proud of himself on his latest accomplishment.

Walker smiled and stood with Jimmy and grabbed his black hat before heading towards the door with Jimmy close on his heels. Jimmy was chatting excitedly, as they entered the hallway, distracting Walker. As they reached the end of the hall, Walker ran into Alex, literally.

"You couldn't think of a better way to say hello?" Alex muttered from her place on the ground as Walker bent to help her up.

"Sorry Alex, we're kind of in a hurry and weren't watching where we were going." Walker apologized as he made sure that she was okay.

"Oh, so I guess lunch is out today?" Alex asked, trying to make it not sound like it was that big of a deal.

Walker's face showed confusion as Alex stared up at him until it hit him, and it hit hard, "Oh, Alex I'm so sorry-"

Alex smiled at the guilt in his voice as she interrupted him, "its fine really, we just have lunch later when you get back."

Relief showed on Walker's face and an idea popped into Alex's head. Walker eyebrows rose as he studied her face as Alex continued, "Oh and you owe me."

Walker smiled back at the coy look on her face, the same one she used when she wanted something. Stepping closer to his girlfriend, Walker bent down to whisper in her ear, "How so?"

Alex's body responded immediately as she smiled at the huskiness in his voice. She stepped back so Walker could see her face and responded naturally, "I'll get back to you on that."

Walker shook his head in amusement as Alex gave him wink and turned on her heel, walking back towards her office. Jimmy laughed at the awestruck look on his partner's face and tugged on his arm, "Come on man. Be infatuated with your woman later. We have to go catch Damien!"

Walker nodded in the general direction of his partner before glancing down the hallway towards the door that Alex disappeared into. Jimmy nudged his arm again and Walker reluctantly led his amused partner out the door.

**WAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWA**

Alex was sitting at her desk, going over a case file for court the next day, but she was finding it very hard to concentrate; Walker was invading her thoughts. Earlier in the hall, Alex was very tempted to kiss him for the first time since she was rescued, but the office was not the place for a big move like that; it was more of a private thing, so she held back. Tossing her pencil on the desk, Alex leaned back in her chair, deciding that she wasn't getting anything done. As she closed her eyes, someone knocked on her door.

"Come in." Alex called; frustrated that she couldn't relax for a few minutes.

Michael Walkman walked in just as Alex straightened up in her chair. Alex inwardly sighed when she saw who it was; she had been hoping to avoid him today. On the outside, however, Alex smiled and welcomed him into her office.

"I heard the famous Alex Cahill was returning today and I just wanted to stop by." Michael told her, a flirtatious smile on his face, closing the door completely, making Alex nervous.

Alex swallowed the lump in her throat before replying politely, "Well thanks very kind of you-"

Michael interrupted her, sitting on the corner of her desk, leaning over to come really close to her face, "Why don't I buy you some lunch?"

"Um...That's very kind of you, but I've already eaten today." Alex lied, standing up to get him out of her personal bubble.

Michael followed her around the desk and whispered, "Some other time then."

Alex held her breath until he finally exited her office. Letting out the air she was holding in relief, Alex leaned against the nearest wall. Before she was taken, Michael was just a creepy co-worker that couldn't take a hint, but now he was downright terrifying. What if he didn't know when to stop? Alex reached for the phone with the intention of calling Walker; she knew just hearing his voice would calm her down. She dialed the first couple of numbers before she stopped to think. Calling Walker would immediately make him mad and start unnecessary trouble that she didn't want to deal with right now. Putting the phone back on the cradle, Alex decided that the best thing to do right now was to ignore it. If it got worse, then she would go to Walker.

"Alex?" The man in question called through the door as Alex turned back to her desk.

Alex smiled, excited at the chance to see him and called back, "Come on in Walker."

Walker pushed open the door as he walked into the office, a large smile on his face. Leaving the door partially open so Alex would feel comfortable, Walker made his way over to the young blonde, noticing that many flowers were missing from her knew collection.

"What happened to your flowers?" Walker asked, sounding confused, stopping in front of her.

Alex gave him a guilty smile, "There was just so many and I couldn't get around them, which made it virtually impossible to work so I gave some away."

Walker smiled as Alex carefully watched his reaction, as if waiting for him to be mad. Pulling her into a loose hug that she could easily get out of, Walker asked, "I guess I went a little overboard, huh?"

Laughing with him, Alex wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, enjoying the hug. Walker felt her sigh with relief and realized that she was expecting him to be upset with her about the flowers. Kissing the top of her head, Walker held her tighter, wondering what he could do to help her not worry. Alex recognized the change in his body language and knew from an instant that he was worrying about her. Pulling back slightly without completely ending the hug, Alex smiled widely up at Walker, making him smile back.

"Don't you owe me a lunch Cowboy?" Alex asked teasingly, removing herself from the hug, but still holding his hand.

Walker smiled, squeezing her hand as he replied, "Of course, a Texas Ranger never goes back on his word."

Alex giggled as she rolled her eyes. Grabbing her purse, Alex followed Walker out the door, all while never letting go of his hand.

**WAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWA**

As the couple reached the steps in the front of the justice building, Walker asked, "So what do you feel like eating for lunch today?"  
Alex thought about it for a moment as they reached the bottom of the steps before replying, "How about that small café down the road? We could even walk!"

Walker chuckled at her childlike excitement and told her, "Your wish is my command."

Alex laughed as she and Walker started down the street towards the café in question. The walk was silent, but it was a comfortable silence that the couple was used to. Walker let go of Alex's hand to wrap his arm around her waist, pulling her closer. Alex smiled and snuggled comfortably into his embrace as the café came into their sights.

"Good, it's not too busy." Walker commented as they entered the café.

Alex smiled, knowing that Walker hated coming in any restaurant during the lunch crowd. Walker held out Alex's chair for her before sitting down in his own. Alex couldn't contain her smile as Walker opened his menu. Walker, feeling her stare, glanced up at Alex, making her blush and open her menu quickly, staring down at it.

'Just like our first date.' Walker thought as he watched Alex pretend to be engrossed in the menu; Walker knew she had it memorized.

"What looks good to you?" Alex asked, unknowingly breaking Walker out of his stare.

Looking down at the menu again, Walker replied, "Um…I'm not sure yet. What about you?"

Alex stared at the menu for a minute longer before looking up to meet Walker's gaze, "I'm kind of craving a cheeseburger. Oh! With fries!"

Walker chuckled as a waitress came over to take their orders. The young red head turned to Walker, a flirtatious smile on her face, completely ignoring Alex. Alex rolled her eyes at the young girl and Walker noticed. Glancing back down at the menu again, Walker asked, "You want the cheeseburger, right Baby?"

The waitress turned to see Alex flash Walker a large smile and nod. Scowling, she took down the orders and walked away muttering something that sounded like 'dumb blondes'. The couple was silent for a moment, only this time it was not a comfortable silence. Alex looked down at her hands before adding conversationally, "She liked you."

Walker leaned across the small table to whisper in her ear, "I prefer blondes."

Just like in the hallway, Alex's body immediately responded to Walker's nearness. Not trusting her voice, with the fear it might crack; Alex just flashed him a large smile. Walker smiled back as he excused himself to the restroom. Alex nodded and Walker kissed her gently on the cheek before walking to the back of the café.

Alex blushed as he entered the restroom, embarrassed by the thoughts she was having; they defiantly weren't lady-like. Smiling to herself, Alex stared down at the table, her hand holding up her head. She didn't notice someone enter the café and head to her table; her thoughts were too involved with Walker at the moment.

"Having a second lunch?" a voice asked, making Alex look up, startled.

"Oh, um…" Alex stuttered as her eyes met Michaels; he did not look happy with her being here.

Michael waited impatiently as Alex got her voice back. Alex force a smile on her face as she answered, hoping to sound casual, "Yes, actually. Work has been so hard today that it's got me extremely hungry."

Michael flashed a smile, immediately okay with her answer making Alex wonder if he was bipolar. Sitting in Walker's chair, Michael told her, "Well then, I'm going to eat with you. A pretty lady such as you should not be eating alone."

"No, that's okay. I actually-"

Michael interrupted her again, scooting his chair closer to hers, "I insist. I won't take no for an answer."

Alex tried to smile, but the fact his face was inches from hers, it was making it hard to function. Scooting her chair to the other side of the table, Alex glanced over to the restrooms, silently pleading for Walker to hurry up. As if he was reading her mind, Walker chose that moment to walk out of the restroom and back to their table.

"Hey Darling." Alex greeted Walker, standing up to stand slightly behind him.

Walker recognized that Alex was extremely uncomfortable for some reason. Not questioning her closeness, Walker wrapped his arm around her waist and rubbed her back in a comfortably motion. Glancing over at Michael, who was now standing, glaring at the couple, Walker commented, "I didn't know someone was going to be joining us for lunch."

"Neither did I, he just popped in out of thin air. Bipolar freak." Alex muttered, lacing her fingers with his.

Walker chuckled at her attitude before turning to talk to the impatient ADA, "Can we help you with something?"

Michael took in the way Alex clung to Walker in a loving fashion and the way Walker held onto her without second thought before answering, "I was hoping to join Miss Cahill for lunch, but it seems she already has company."

Walker smiled, in a not so friendly way, "Yes it does."

Michael glanced down at Alex, smiling again, "Oh well, some other time then Alex."

Alex muttered something unintelligible, but Walker picked out the words 'dead body'. Holding back a laugh, Walker looked over at Michael, translating, "Don't count on it."

Michael grazed his gaze over Alex's body one more time before heading out the door. Walker shifted his hold on Alex so that she was standing in front of him before stating, "He bugs me."

Alex laughed as she stared into his blue-gray eyes, "I have to work with him, so you have a little taste on how I feel."

Walker smiled down at her and Alex's breath caught in her throat as she stared more deeply into her eyes. Alex realized this was the perfect moment she was waiting for and slowly moved her head towards his. Realizing that she wanted to kiss him, Walker's hand cupped her face gently, pressing his lips gently to hers. Jolts of energy shot through Alex, just like every other kiss she had shared with Walker and she pressed her lips more firmly to his. Walker smiled into the kiss as Alex's hands found their way to his hair and Alex deepened the kiss. Walker was responding as he heard, "Um…your order's ready."

Alex quickly pulled away, blood rushing quickly to her face, turning her usually tan face to a nice shade of red. Walker nodded at the waitress to put their food on the table with a 'thank you'. Alex buried her head in Walker's shoulder, still very red.

"It's okay Alex. Not that many people are here anyway." Walker whispered in her ear, placing a quick kiss to the side of her head.

"I forgot we weren't alone…" Alex told him as she finally pulled away to sit down.

Walker chuckled as her face slowly turned back to its original color. Shooting him a playful glare, Alex took a drink from her iced tea. Gently taking her hand, Walker leaned closer to whisper, "You can forget anytime you want."

Alex's blush returned, but she answered casually, "You wish Walker."

Walker chuckled, letting go of her hand, "Of course. Now did you get everything you wanted?"

Alex knew he was referring to lunch, but she grabbed his hand again, looking directly into his eyes, saying, "Yea, I got everything I've ever wanted."

Walker smiled, placing a gently kiss on her knuckles, whispering, "Good."

**Well was it worth the wait? Tell me what you think in that nice little thing called a REVIEW!! Stay tuned for the next chapter that will specifically focus on Sydney and Gage cuz I feel like I haven't been paying enough attention to them lately. Until next time!**


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